It’s Dwayne Wade’s turn to talk. A few weeks ago, Wade’s wife, Gabrielle Union, opened the flood gates of public opinion when she revealed to Bloomberg that the couple splits household expenses 50/50.
“It’s think pieces that’s going around the world about me and my wife and I haven’t given no color to this,” Wade said addressing the controversy for the first time as a guest on Shannon Sharpe’s “Club Shay Shay” show.
Union’s statement set off a plethora of opinions, many of them against her decision to go dutch with a man who many assumed makes more money than she does. In the sit-down with Sharpe, Wade basically confirmed the 50/50 split but clarified that it may not mean exactly what people expect.
Wade Shares His Side
In the “Club Shay Shay” interview, Wade explained that the breakdown of the couple’s finances is rooted in Union’s need to establish her own independence after Wade made a comment the actress was not pleased with.
“We decided together. Because I think I said one time, we were in Miami, I said said something about it being my house, that I paid for. My wife looked at me she was like, ‘You will never say that to me again when it is something that we share,'” Wade explained to Sharpe.
Wade further explained that he and Union split the cost of some key aspects of their lives such as their home in Los Angeles and upkeep of their daughter. He added that they avoid any rigidity around who exactly has to pay what, however.
“Our daughter, anything that goes on with our daughter, 50/50. We share it together. Now there are somethings I pick up. Some things she picks up. But she does some, I do some,” Wade explained.
Wade also explained that when it comes to vacation expenses he is willing to pay for things in full but his wife often steps in to contribute.
“If we take a yacht trip we could do it 50/50. Or I could do it myself. But my wife is a working woman. She’s a boss and an independent woman,” Wade said. “She’s like ‘That little 200 that you were going to spend on this, I’m going to throw something else on that and we’re going to go on a bigger trip.'”
A United Front
The former NBA baller also touched on the topic of supporting extended family, a subject Union first discussed in her Bloomberg interview.
“Let’s say I have 20 to 50 responsibilities and my wife has 20 to 50 responsibilities and when I say that, that means she has her mother, she has her sisters, she has her dad, she has a lot of things that she’s responsible for. You know what she does? She pays 100% of that,” Wade explained.
Wade admitted to listening to the think pieces about his relationship with Union but said ultimately no one understands the nuances of what they have. He definitively stated “I do alright myself” but added that the couple has decided to approach life as a team.
“In certain moments where we want to do better together, we do better together,” Wade said.